Calhoun in video appearance: Give Ollie your support

Kevin Duffy

Updated 12:32 am, Saturday, October 13, 2012

STORRS -- Sitting opposite a women's team primed for a national championship run, the new-look UConn men -- still ripe with enthusiasm -- were introduced at Friday's First Night.

The circumstances these days are quite different than they were in 2011. A year ago today, the buzz in Gampel surrounded super-recruit Andre Drummond and the potential for back-to-back national titles. The coach was Jim Calhoun, and the expectations were through the Gampel roof.

"We know how to finish, but we're a long way from finishing," Calhoun said at last year's First Night. "We have to start. We're 0-0."

Calhoun, who retired on Sept. 12, was not present Friday. He did, however, appear briefly on the videoboard, urging fans to give first-year coach Kevin Ollie "the thrill of a lifetime every time he steps on the floor."

The big story line this year: How long will that thrill last?

Ollie was handed a one-year deal, and due to UConn's postseason sanctions, he can't make an NCAA tournament run to state his case for the full-time job. Instead, he'll demand that the Huskies become "the hardest working team in America."

"They're going to be the best conditioned team, they're going to have a great attitude and they're going to have love for each other," Ollie said during his speech to the Gampel crowd of 7,000.

Just as he's done several times in the preseason, Ollie reiterated his appreciation for the 12 players he'll coach in this make-or-break year.

"They're the reason I stand here," Ollie said.

"Because they didn't transfer. A lot of other people transferred and they stayed."

UConn, essentially playing for pride and for Ollie, opens practice Saturday afternoon.

Due to revamped NCAA regulations, Ollie was allowed to work with the team for two hours per week during a specified period of the offseason. He said the new rules have helped him become more familiar with his personnel.

MOORE RETURNS TO UCONN: On Friday, UConn announced the hiring of former guard Ricky Moore, who played a crucial role in the Huskies' 1999 national championship. Moore, known for his lockdown perimeter defense, will serve as the program's assistant director of basketball administration.

"I'm ecstatic to be back," Moore said. "It's a great feeling. Coming in now, it's a sad time that coach (Calhoun) is leaving, but everybody is taking it as his legacy will live on."

Right now, it lives on through the coaching staff: Every single coach, with the exception of George Blaney, played at UConn. Assistant Karl Hobbs was a Husky in the pre-Calhoun era (1981-85); associate head coach Glen Miller was at UConn before transferring to play for Jim Calhoun at Northeastern; and the duo of Ricky Moore and Kevin Freeman was instrumental in the program's first title.

After graduating in 1999, Moore enjoyed stints in Germany and the NBA Developmental League. He spent the past two years as an assistant coach at Dartmouth, but Ollie lured him back to Storrs.

"It's a great addition," Ollie said. "It's everything he stands for: his unselfish play here, never looking for the limelight, but he was the rock of the team. ... The way (Moore) has handled his life, all these different things I talk about, he epitomizes that."

With the addition of Moore, Ollie finalizes what he's routinely called "the best coaching staff in America."

"It's a coaching staff that's been through it," Ollie said. "Coach Blaney, Glen Miller, my associate head coach, and coach (Karl) Hobbs all have head coaching experience. I'm going to bring my philosophy in and they're going to be there to stand me up and be my guide and be my rock. We're going to get this done."